North Carolina Pesticide Statistics 2026 (State Data)

North Carolina inspectors made 3,785 pesticide inspections in 2025, and the Pesticide Board approved settlements with violators who paid $600 to $2,100 each.

Every year the North Carolina Pesticide Board must report on how the state's pesticide law was enforced. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) publishes it as the Pesticide Report.

We pulled the numbers that matter to applicators and people studying for the license. Each one says what it counts. Where two years are not comparable, we say so.

Licenses and exams

14,619 exams in 2025

The 2025 summary of regulatory activities lists 4,619 exams. This counts exams given, not people. One candidate who takes Core and a category exam is counted twice. For 2024 the report split the count: 5,287 in-person exams in 131 sessions and 110 online exams.¹²

22,355 licenses listed for 2025

The 2025 summary lists 1,535 ground applicator licenses, 699 public operator licenses, 57 dealer licenses, 54 aerial licenses and 10 consultant licenses, 2,355 in all.¹

3798 private applicators

The 2025 summary lists 798 certified private pesticide applicators, farmers who use restricted use pesticides.¹ The 2024 report lists 926.²

Item	2024	2025
Ground applicator licenses	9,444	1,535
Public operator licenses	3,940	699
Dealer licenses	435	57
Aerial applicator licenses	208	54
Pest control consultant licenses	93	10
Total pesticide licenses	14,120	2,355
Private applicators	926	798

Do not read this table as a drop of 83 percent. The two reports print the same labels, but the 2025 totals are about one sixth of 2024, which points to a different counting basis. Neither report defines it. Use each year on its own and ask NCDA&CS before comparing.¹²

41,907 approved courses

The Pesticide Section approved 1,907 continuing education courses in 2025, up from 1,755 in 2024.¹² Our guide to pesticide CE credits explains how those hours count.

Inspections and enforcement

53,785 inspections

Inspections include routine compliance checks. The count fell from 4,108 in 2024. Of the 2025 inspections, 304 were Worker Protection inspections.¹²

698 investigations

Investigations follow a complaint or an incident such as drift. The 2025 count was 98, against 104 in 2024. The division also logged 159 citizen's inquiries.¹²

731 civil penalties

The Board assessed 31 civil penalties in 2025 and 27 in 2024. It issued 183 notices of noncompliance, 4 notices of warning and 26 stop-sale, stop-use or removal orders. There were no suspensions or revocations in either year.¹²

Action	2024	2025
Inspections	4,108	3,785
Investigations	104	98
Civil penalties	27	31
Notices of noncompliance	187	183
Stop-sale, stop-use, removal orders	63	26
Suspensions and revocations	0	0

8Penalty limits

The Board may assess up to $2,000 against any person for a violation. For a private applicator the limit is $500, and only for willful violations. A criminal violation carries a penalty of $100 to $1,000 or imprisonment.¹

Sample settlements

The 2025 report prints the Board's 2025 meeting minutes, including settlements. These are examples, not a full list.¹

Violation	Settlement
Using mothballs outdoors in a yard, against the label	$600
Dealer sold a restricted use pesticide to an applicator with an expired license	$600
Applying to the wrong residential property	$600
Working as an applicator without a license	$1,200
Drift from a farm field application onto a road and yard	$1,200
Drone application that drifted, label not followed	$1,200
Paraquat applied without the required training and respirator fit test	$800
Herbicide drift to a neighbor, applicator not certified or trained	$2,100

Many cases involve the same few problems: drift, ignoring the label, and an expired or missing license. Those are also what the Core exam tests.¹

Products and fees

915,997 products from 1,707 registrants

Every pesticide sold in North Carolina must be registered. In 2025 the state counted 1,707 registrants, 97 of them in North Carolina, and 15,997 registered products.¹

10$638,075 in environmental fees

NCDA&CS collected $638,075 in environmental assessment fees from about 18,464 brand registrations. The fee is $25 or $50 per brand depending on sales. 44.7 percent of receipts came from brands under $5,000 in sales.¹

Recycling and disposal

11258,471 pounds of containers

Counties with active programs recycled 258,471 pounds of plastic pesticide containers in 2025. Seventy of the 100 counties took part. Since 1995 the total is over 11 million pounds.¹

12188,953 pounds of unwanted pesticide

The Pesticide Disposal Assistance Program supervised 135 collection events in 2025 and handled 188,953 pounds. In 2024 it was 142 events and 217,476 pounds.¹²

If you plan to apply for pay or on a farm, see where you stand with a free practice test.

Common questions

How many pesticide licenses does North Carolina have?

The 2025 report lists 2,355 licenses and 798 private applicators. The 2024 report lists 14,120 licenses. The two years use different bases, so do not compare them.¹²

What is the maximum fine for violating the pesticide law?

$2,000 per violation, and $500 for willful violations by a private applicator.¹

Does the state revoke licenses often?

The report lists zero suspensions and zero revocations in 2024 and 2025.¹²

Where do these numbers come from?

From the annual Pesticide Report published by NCDA&CS.

Sources

Every figure is from the NCDA&CS Pesticide Reports for 2024 and 2025. Counts describe activity under the North Carolina Pesticide Law of 1971, not people unless stated.

1. NCDA&CS: Pesticide Report for 2025 (ncagr.gov)
2. NCDA&CS: Pesticide Report for 2024 (ncagr.gov)